The sun shone through the windows of Last Exit Books and Coffeehouse as a small crowd gathered to listen and laugh with author Ken Strange during his book signing on June 21.

In 2022, Strange and his friend of over 30 years, and Kent resident Scott Nichols, visited Last Exit. After their visit, it became a goal for Strange to host a book signing at the bookstore.

After Scott Nichols’ son, Mikey Nichols, died on April 27 at 29 years old, Strange returned to the bookstore to raise money for Mikey Nichols’ favorite charity, New Horizons of Southwest Florida. 

“He’s no longer with us, but he is with us,” Strange said. “He’s with us, looking down on us right now.”

New Horizons, a nonprofit located in Naples, Florida, focuses on providing underprivileged children with resources to succeed academically.

“I’m just very touched that he would sacrifice his income for my son,” Scott Nichols said.

Proceeds from both of Strange’s books, “A Cop’s Son” and “It’s Your Camino,” bought during the signing will go towards New Horizons.

Strange added that Scott Nichols has always been there for him, so he wanted to return the favor. The two met in 1992 while a part of the U.S. Agency for International Development and later created the business, Developmental Fraud Investigations

“He was a great support,” Strange said. “He was my backside, ‘Scott, help me I’m in trouble.’” 

“A Cop’s Son” chronicles Strange’s life as a cop’s son, leading him to his career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a special agent, USAID and to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

“So, FBI, USAID, Department of Justice, nobody in the world has ever done that,” Scott Nichols said.

Strange described the true crime memoir as different from a typical cop book.

“It’s a book with many more players, it’s a little bit more complex,” he said. “We talk about successes of investigations, the failures, the heartbreaks, the boredom and everything in between.”

“It’s Your Camino” follows Strange and his wife on a spiritual pilgrimage to Camino de Santiago, following advice to take the trip from actor Martin Sheen.

The book signing began with Strange recounting his first encounter with author Ray Bradbury in 2008 during Bradbury’s 88th birthday celebration at the now-closed Mystery and Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, Florida.

Bradbury and his novels inspired Strange to become an author.

“It’s just one of those things where you say, ‘Let it rip,’” Strange said. “I said, ‘Mr. Bradbury, I love you. You’re my idol. You know, you took me to distant planets and away from my meager Brooklyn existence.”

While talking to Bradbury, Strange said he began to cry, so Bradbury pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek.

Following the story, he expressed gratitude for his wife’s support and shared his hopes to inspire and help others.

“Once I sit down and I write, I forget where I am, and I just write for myself,” he said. “Maybe if I can touch someone else, well, that’s beautiful.”

After the introduction, Strange read an excerpt from “A Cop’s Son,” followed by an audience question and answer session. 

Once the Q-and-A session concluded, attendees were able to approach Strange individually and receive signed books.

Amanda Hampton, vice president of organizational support for News Horizons of Southwest Florida, chose to attend the event because it was representative of Mikey Nichols’ memory.

“I think it was the perfect blend of the educational support that New Horizons does, my love of reading and then also connecting it to the personal cause of supporting Michael,” she said. “When I heard that he was giving a lot of the proceeds, I thought that was just really touching.”

Strange intends for his next book, “Land of Sand,” to be published by Post Hill Press in 2026. The book will be a coming-of-age love story in Saudi Arabia, inspired by Strange and his wife’s love letters. 

He is also looking into ways “A Cop’s Son” can be adapted into a TV show or movie.

Following the book signing, Hampton hopes attendees remember Mikey Scott and his work.

“The generous spirit that is being done, the generous spirit that Michael had and to try to incorporate that into every day,” she said.

Adriana Gasiewski is digital content manager. Contact her at [email protected].